Sleeping - again

Harry is now sleeping in a bed rather than a cot and, by and large, he’s taken to it pretty well although it’s not been without its moments.

There are two areas in particular that have proved to be a challenge. Firstly, keeping Harry in his bed when he’s going to sleep is a much more tricky proposition without the cot.

At the moment, one of us is taking him to bed and reading him stories to keep him safely tucked up. Now I like Thomas the Tank Engine as much as the next dad, but it’s already starting to become a little bit too familiar.

The other challenge is making sure Harry stays in his own bed during the night. Whereas climbing out of the cot took considerable effort, it’s now easy for Harry to jump out of bed and head for our room.

As a result we’re constantly alert to the sound of Harry’s little footsteps padding across the landing in the middle of the night. Most of the time, it’s simply a case of turning him round and putting him back in his bed. However, he seems to be developing a knack for climbing into our bed without waking us up, which is a bit more worrying.

The first time this happened, I woke up and was surprised to find Harry snoring away alongside me, spread-eagled and taking up as much room as possible. “What time did you bring him in?” I asked Melissa. “You tell me,” came the rather grumpy response. Harry, oblivious, carried on sleeping.

When he did finally open his eyes, I asked him why he had got into our bed. “Crocodiles in Harry’s room,” came the grinning reply. Perhaps I should invest in a couple for our room as well.